What's up, I'm new here... first post, here's my team draft grades, just did them in about an hour, comment on anything. I know we have all seen 10 of these already, but I figure it's nice to see someone other than the "experts" send in their draft grades:

2006 NBA Draft Team Grades

All Grades and Evaluations Opinionated by Myself

Atlanta Hawls:
PF Shelden Williams
F/C Solomon Jones

Atlanta went with the "safe" pick with Duke's college stud Shelden Williams in the first round. I really don't like the selecion. Everyone seems to be giving them the benefit of the doubt with a safe grade on the safe pick. But With the 5th pick in the Draft,
you've got to expect to either grab a great player at a position of need
or a top overall talent with great upside. The Hawks went with Williams who they feel can make solid contributions immediately. But he does not make any kind of real splash on a team that already has an abundance of athletic forwards
(see Josh Smith, Josh Childress, Marvin WIlliams, etc), and NO Point Guard! Joe Johnson just cannot be the answer at Point Guard for any contending team. This team could have Chris Paul (last year's draft) or Randy Foye running the point with
all their talented forwards and swingmen. Williams does not bring enough to the table to constitute a good pick, over a point guard. Then they also had a decent position for a 2nd round pick which could have been used on a talented guard
like Dee Brown or Daniel Gibson. Jones has good size and decent upside, but was a stretch at early 2nd round at an unneeded position.

Grade: C-

Boston Celtics:
PG Sebastian Telfair
PG Rajon Rondo
F Leon Powe

I don't really understand this draft at all for Boston. In one of the stronger PG drafts in a long time, they decide to trade away their mid-lottery pick for Telfair, who has been unimpressive thus far as a lottery drafted lead guard 2 years ago.
I guess it's a matter of taste, but I think Ainge has some pretty terrible taste then. Randy Foye seems to be a thoroughly better PG prospect than Telfair. I even like Jordan Farmar and Marcus WIlliams over Telfair. The only point I think Telfair is better than
is Rajon Rondo, who of course the Celtics draft at number 21, which makes zero sense to me. If you're going to trade for Telfair, at least draft a player with some kind of talent, upside, or size at 21. Instead, we now have Delonte West, Rajon Rondo, and Sebastian
Telfair, all pretty unimpressive players to share the point. Powe can be a nice addition in the second round, but he's very similar to Ryan Gomes who they got last year. Then all the salary swaps with LaFrentz, Ratliff, and Grant are totally useless and not even worth mentioning.
Pretty disappointing draft to me.

Grade: D+

Charlotte Bobcats:
SF Adam Morrison
C Ryan Hollins

Morrison is just what the Bobcats needed to improve this roster of young, athletic players who play tough defense. AmMo is going to boost this team in all the right ways, into what could be a possible playoff position in the weak East. The one piece
this team was missing is a true scorer. Now, Morrison is put into the position where he is the go-to guy offensively, and he should feel comfortable to put up some 20-shot nights and create scoring by himself. Gerald Wallace makes up
for what Morrison lakes defensively, along with the shot-blocking presences that Charlotte posesses inside, most notably Emeka Okafor. Basically, Morrison is a very talented, NBA ready star who is a perfect fit for the Bobcats, and it would be very surprising
if the fit does not match well. Hollins gives another big body in the front court, but nothing special.

Grade: A

Chicago Bulls:
F Tyrus Thomas
G Thabo Sefolosha

We have just found out that Ben Wallace will be joining the Bulls next year, which is incredible news for Chicago. That discussion is for another day. As for Chicago's draft, it was well constructed. They got one of the top overall talents and upsides in the draft
in LSU forward Tyrus Thomas. Thomas brings a fantasic shot blocking ability defensively to make up for his lack of size. Thomas's offensive game is a little raw, but he finds ways to score, and will be able to when not a top offensive weapon by any means
on the Bulls. I don't know much about Thabo, but I have heard nice things about the Swiss guard. He is a strong defender who can hit open shots. However, is he really worth a lottery pick, over Ronnie Brewer or Rodney Carney? We will find out, but
for now, it moves them down from a high A to A-

Grade: A-

Cleveland Cavaliers:
G Shannon Brown
PG Daniel Gibson

Simple draft, solid selections for their draft position. Both of these guys were college stars who may have left a year early, but now may become draft steals. Brown is a tremendously athletic guard who can score. He can easily provide what Flip Murray
gave to them this year, which was a solid scoring contribution. Gibson can hit shots and has good skills, and will learn to play a true point behind Eric Snow. Their draft success will depend on whether or not Brown mess with the NBA game
and use his athleticism and scoring ability the right way. It will be bad if he tries to do too much, because well they do have a guy named LeBron James, and Larry Hughes on the wing. Should be a solid draft though.

Grade: B

Dallas Mavericks:
G Maurice Ager

Dallas always has a late first rounder that they make a good pick with, who contributes right away. They did it again this year. Ager was a terrific college player who showed he can be a consistent scorer. On a team full of talented players, Ager was the clear
leader and go-to guy. He should fit well with the talented runners-up, Dallas Mavericks. Ager may not play very much early on, but he should be able to contribute when he get a chance.

Grade: B

Denver Nuggets:

They traded away their only pick, and came away with nothing. The Nuggets had a chance to win a playoff series last year, so they're not in a bad position, but they better make a strong push for a guy with some talent in the free agent pool, because
they may lose KMart, and if he comes back he hasn't proven to be much help anyway. Denver still has no outside shooters and could have really used someone to hit threes with their 2nd rounder.

Grade: N/A (F)

Detroit Pistons:
C Cheick Samb
G Will Blalock

Blalock is a nice point guard to draft with the last pick. They're going to use some size now that Ben Wallace is gone, but Cheick Samb is not going to help at all. He is a weak 7-footer who will be a major project. They didn't need to trade Maurice Evans who was a nice player for them who even found some time
in the playoffs. Not much to say about this draft.

Grade: C-

Golden State Warriors:
C Patrick O'Bryant
C Kosta Petrovic

The Warriors were in a tough spot, just missing out on the top level of talent after Gay was chosen at number 8. I guess they did a decent job picking up two 7-footers. However, I am not much of a fan of O'Bryant.
If it wasn't for Bradley's surprising run into the sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament, nobody would have ever heard of this guy. But I guess that shows what the Tournament does to draft hopefuls, and he did step up by leading his Mid-Major school
to a Sweet 16 berth. O'Bryant may be somewhat of a project, and he certainly needs to get stronger, but he's got NBA potential. The problem is, this team has a load of big bodies already, and drafted Ike Diogu last year. They would have been better selecting the
best player available, since this roster is stuffed everywhere you go, just missing a franchise player. I guess they can build off Jason Richardson with oft-injured Baron Davis and their young forwards and O'Bryant, but they just haven't been able to select
a real impact player with their annual lottery picks. Petrovic is a shaky pick as well, but we will see what the 7'2" project can do for this team in a few years.

Grade: C

Houston Rockets:
F Steve Novak
SF Shane Battier

Everyone is bashing the Rockets, and rightfully so, but their overall moves weren't THAT terrible when you think about it. I will continue to bad-mouth the trade for Battier, but adding the coach's dream player, hard working, team guy in Battier, plus
a sharpshooter with range and height in Steve Novak is not bad to accomodate McGrady and Yao. However, it's more a matter of what they COULD have done here. Jerry West simply ripped off the Rockets, and they look foolish now. I don't care what
anyone says, Rudy Gay is a bonafide star talent. He is a steal at number 8, and could have been another added talent to the mix in Houston. Instead, his tremendous upside is gone for the solid Battier, and Stromile Swift heads back to Memphis.
He showed some signs of breaking out in Memphis, but he struggled in Houston, so they needed to get rid of him but it's really a disappointment to see him go just like that. We'll see if Houston can improve their immediate product on the floor from their
draft day moves, but I doubt it. No matter what, they have passed on a superstar talent in Gay and also did away with a blooming talent in Swift.

Grade: D+

Indiana Pacers:
F Shawne Williams

Shawne should still be in college playing for John Calipari. He had a poor freshman year for Memphis, his draft stock dropped tremendously, yet he still was able to get drafted in the mid-first round here. Williams has some definite talent and upside, but he's not really
a fit for the Pacers here. If he had a GREAT year, he would be lucky to be the kind of player Danny Granger has become for the Pacers. Basically, he's a Granger clone, but far less NBA-ready and with slightly more upside. They could have addressed other issues here,
but instead they now don't really improve the roster right away, and Peja is gone. I see it being a long year for Indiana in '06-'07.

Grade: C-

Los Angeles Clippers:
F/C Paul Davis
G Guillermo Diaz

Decent picks for a team that has its starting 5 pretty much set and didn't need to do anything big in the draft. I like the two picks they make here. I am not at all a fan of Davis, but he is a hard worker who thrives off the pick and roll game and can hit open shots.
He may fit in with the point guard styles of Livingston and Cassell. Diaz is a straight up freak athlete, who could have been lottery bound if he grew 4 inches. Instead, he stands just above 6-foot, without a true position. However he still has tremendous talent
and can give them spurt scoring off the bench. Two pretty good value picks for the 2nd round, and Diaz has some potential slapped onto him. I'd consider give them a low A if I didn't personally dislike the soft Paul Davis so much.

Grade: B

Los Angeles Lakers:
PG Jordan Farmar
G J.R. Pinnock

I like the Farmar pick. There's no way Laker fans can expect Kobe to win a championship with Smush Parker running the show at point. Smush should stay on this roster and get good playing time, but Farmar is a much needed change of pace at the lead guard.
Farmar is much more of a true point guard, and he is a great distributor. I think he should start over Smush, and he would be able to feed Kobe well. Farmar still needs to work on cutting down the turnovers and consistently hitting jump shots, but he has good
point guard skills. Pinnock, who knows, he probably won't make the team.

Absolutely brilliant draft by Jerry West and Memphis. West is a drafting genius, and he has worked his magic once again. Rudy Gay is one of the supreme talents of this draft, probably the most fit to be a number 1-pick potential talent, but he just didn't show
enough his sophomore year at UConn or at pre-draft workouts to warrant a top selection. So instead, he winds up on a playoff team in the West who is now a title contender. Gay immediately becomes the starting SF on this team with the departure of Shane Battier,
and he should be able to mesh well with this strong defensive team with their franchise player Pau Gasol coming off a career year. He steps into a situation that is similar in terms of his role with that of the Connecticut Huskies. We will see if he can develop
into a star in this environment, and if he can have a strong rookie campaign. Their first round selection at number 24 of Kyle Lowry is a great pick. Lowry is my single favorite player in this draft. I think he is unlike any player in the entire NBA pretty much. He has
great point guard skills, and is a pass-first, pass-second, pass-third point. Only 6-foot, he has tremendous physical strength for his size and also is the best hustle player I have ever seen. He led the Big East in steals last year for Villanova; he is a terrific on
the ball defender as well. What he lacks is a shot, but he's on a team full of great shooters. He will fit well with this team, as long as Damon Stoudamire and Bobby Jackson don't both stay on the team and take up big minutes. Swift was starting to breakout during
his first stint in Memphis, and now he returns to a familiar environment. The Grizzlies welcome back his raw talent and shot blocking ability, and maybe he can have a real breakout season back with his old team. Alexander Johnson is an absolute brick wall
of strength, he looks more like a football player. Maybe he'll fine-tune his basketball skills in the NDBL, but he has some potential to make an impact in the front court defensively.

Grade: A+

Miami Heat:

They won the NBA Championship. They locked up Dwyane Wade. They'll be contenders again. No need for draft picks.

Grade: N/A

Milwaukee Bucks:
G/F David Noel
F Damir Markota

It's nice to see David Noel get drafted in the high second round here. Noel worked so hard in the pre-draft workout camps, and he was the number 1 overall rated player in the physical testing at pre-draft camp. He lacks great basketball skills in any
specific area, but he is a solid defender and hard worker who will be a pleasure to have on a team. I have never heard of Markota, we'll see what he can do in a few years.

Nice job by Minnesota in this draft. Randy Foye is probably my favorite lottery talent in this draft. He reminds me of a Chauncey Billups clone, but even stronger and smarter. Foye is the most NBA ready player of anyone in this draft. 4 years at Villanova
were key for him, as he played everything from the 1 to the 4, with that 4 guard offense. Foye is going to be an NBA point guard for sure though, and he has the ability to be a great one. He has a tremendous release on his shot that he can knock down both NBA-range
jump shots, and contested by defenders. He is an incredibly strong physical player who can match up with almost any point in the league defensively, and he can slash to the basket, find the open man, hit pressure shots, and get to the line. I hate
that they say that he can't be the number 1 pick because of his "potential", or lack thereof. I hate the word potential. Foye is going to be a superstar, and he is ready to play right now. Craig Smith is a nice value pick in the second round. I love this guy's game and how
hard he works. He's a banger inside and could develop nicely into a front court presence, and he's NBA ready.

Grade: A

New Jersey Nets:
PG Marcus Williams
F/C Josh Boone
G/F Hassan Adams

Wonderful draft by New Jersey. They got great value at all three picks. Marcus Williams is the obvious steal of this draft at number 22. He is going to learn quickly from Jason Kidd, and he will be ready to take over this time very soon. Great point guard skills,
he's a clutch shooter, and a team leader. As long as he stays out of trouble he is going to be the point guard of the future with Carter and Jefferson in their primes as Kidd retires or wears out. I dislike Boone, but he has a nice game for a big man. Soft hands,
nice touch around the basket, a banger defensively, and a solid rebounder with good fundamentals. Fits well here. Hassan Adams is a potential-full player they grab in the second round, who was once a lottery talent in high school. Adams could get major minutes
behind VC and RJ, being the spark off the bench, both offensively and defensively. Great draft by the Nets.

Grade: A

New Orleans Hornets:
C Hilton Armstrong
F Cedric Simmons

Everyone seems to love this draft for the Hornets. Well, I like it, but don't love it. They bring in two big, strong front court players who are ready to make an impact on an already successful team with their franchise player (Chris Paul). We have just
learned that Peja Stojakovic is joining them, which is fantastic news for Hornets fans. After learning about that, their draft still looks great, adding depth and size inside. However, their breakout star from last year David West occupies the 4. PJ Brown is still there,
along with a bunch of other bigs such as Aaron Williams. The two young guys should start as bench players and learn from Brown to become good players, but i thought only 1 of these guys was necesarry. It would have been nice to see Ronnie Brewer
or Rodney Carney be selected, even Thabo Sefolosha, along with Simmons or Armstrong. This way, they fill a hole with a young swingman, since J.R. Smith just is not meshing with coach Byron Scott. Yes, Desmond Mason is a Rodney Carney clone, but
Carney is a harder worker who has the potential to be better, and I would have liked him to be selected along with let's say Simmons. However they took two big guys and got Peja, so we'll see how it works out.

Grade: B

New York Knicks:
F Renaldo Balkman
G Mardy Collins

I am one of the thousands of incredibly disappointed New York Knicks fans. Honestly I hate this draft entirely. Mardy Collins is a decent player to select at 29, but nothing special at all. Balkman is an absolute waste of a pick, and a waste of space on the
floor. Comparisons to Dennis Rodman are completely ludicrous. This guy brings nothing to the table but some scrapiness, which probabaly won't earn him any playing time but in the NBDL. Collins is an ok player and strong defensive guard, but he is never
going to play on this roster full of Crawford, Marbury, Francis, Robinson, etc. Why couldn't we have gotten something like Shannon Brown and P.J. Tucker? Who knows. Terrible draft. Fire Isiah.

Grade: D-

Orlando Magic:
SG J.J. Redick
F James Augustine
F Lior Eliyahu

I expect Redick to do well here. Nice pick by the Magic, he should fill the 2-guard need and obviously provide great outside shooting. Now, only if he could play some defense. With their franchise players in place, Redick will just be counted on to come in
and provide an offensive spark and hit jumpers. Eventually he will adapt to the NBA game and play better defense and get stronger rebounding and such. But for now, don't expect too much yet. I still like his contributions right away, and he should be a nice fit.
The other two picks don't warrant much discussion. Ok, Augustine was a nice college player and maybe can find some minutes.

Jones and Bavcic, who knows what they will bring. They don't matter much. But Carney has star potential. He is a top athlete in the draft who is incredibly fast and strong, and can play defense. The problem is, he is an Andre Igoudala clone.
Igoudala is a great young player, and I guess you can never have enough Andre Igoudalas, but really someone else would have fit better here. You have Iverson (forget a point guard), sharpshooter Korver (forget Redick), Igoudala (forget Carney),
and Webber (you don't want him to be a teacher to a young forward). With what they have in place, either Iverson is going to get traded and everything is mashed up here, or you draft Ronnie Brewer or Shawne Williams, someone like that, an athlete
who can score and play multiple positions to give you something off the bench. Well, Carney is still a great player and we'll see what he can do here.

Grade: C+

Phoenix Suns:

They tried to save money to sign Tim Thomas. Well, so much for that, he's off to Los Angeles to play for the Clippers.

After the most confusing set of buyouts and trades I have ever seen during a draft, you see what they came out with. Not bad. Once Darius Miles and Zach Randolph get out of town, the rebuilding process begins.
It's tough for anyone to analyze this draft, because we really don't know what anyone in the Blazers organization has been thinking for years. But the names they come out with are very nice here. While Aldridge's draft potential has dropped recently,
and he was no longer considered number 1-pick talent, the Blazers scooped him up to be their big forward of the franchise over Zach Randolph. Then NBA-ready, do-it-all guard Brandon Roy steps in to be the franchise guard of the future. See ya Sebastian.
Sergio Rodriguez is a good looking guard who should get some minutes. Freeland has been playing ball for only a matter of months, just over a year or two, so we'll see how he develops. Well, the rebuilding era has begun. We'll see what Rodriguez, Roy,
Martell Webster, and Aldridge can throw at you next year.

Grade: B+

Sacramento Kings:
G Quincy Douby

Douby was guaranteed this pick here, but it really is surprising to me. Douby is nothing but a ball-hogging, poor defensive, unathletic guard who shoots the ball every time he gets it. He's never seen a shot he doesn't like. With that said, the Kings could use
another shooter to mesh with Bonzi Wells and Ron Artest. I just don't think he should be a first-round selection, let alone guaranteed at number 19. It will be interesting to see his transition from lousy Rutgers to the Kings.

Grade: C-

San Antonio Spurs:

They just didn't do anything. This time, they weren't NBA champions either. They need to get better in free agency or else they're not getting back there.

Grade: N/A (F)

Seattle Sonics:
C Saer Sene
G/F Denham Brown
G Yotam Halperin

Halperin was the 2nd best Israeli in the draft, who knows why he was selected. Brown is an overachieving UConn product who really doesn't have much skill. The big shots and plays he made in the NCAA Tournament probably got him drafted.
As for Sene, I don't know what the Sonics are thinking. This is the third 7-foot lottery pick in 3 years by Seattle. One is enough, two I can understand just in case one fails, but three is too much. They were a bad team last year, get someone
who can come in and make an impact! Cedric Simmons, Ronnie Brewer, Rodney Carney, any of these guys would have been nice. You never know when one of those athletic bubble-lottery guys will produce great right away (see Danny Granger).
Instead, Sene will sit on the bench for awhile, then be re-evaluated along with the 15 other young big men they have.

Grade: D

Toronto Raptors:
F Andrea Bargnani
G/F P.J. Tucker

Trading Villanueva for T.J. Ford makes this draft a whole lot clearer now, and it looks pretty good. They're expecting to lose Mike James, so in comes Ford who can run the team right away. Morris Peterson has developed into a good scoring guard.
Now comes Bargnani who will have to be a franchise player and an impactful all-around guy right away for this pick to work. Passing on Adam Morrison, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Tyrus Thomas for this guy was risky. Only time will tell if it is the right decision.
I am a big Tucker fan. He is an incredibly strong player for his size who works hard and makes the most of his minutes. Texas products T.J. and P.J. are nice additions. I don't know what to expect from Bargnani, who can really say, so we will find out in the end
if it was a good draft or not.

Grade: B

Utah Jazz:
G/F Ronnie Brewer
PG Dee Brown
F Paul Millsap

I love Millsap. Hardworking guy, led the NCAA in rebounding for 3 straight years. Pretty impressive. He will earn some minutes. Dee Brown joins Illinois teammate Deron Williams in the backcourt. Their combined contributions at point guard will be a good match.
Now to Brewer, he's a great pick here. This combo guard/forward is now the best athlete on the team to join Andrei Kirilenko. The Jazz have gotten a whole lot younger and more athletic from this draft, and they just might make a push for the playoffs now.
Brewer brings a lot to the table, plus he's a team player who does not need to be the star. He should fit well. If he improves that awful looking jumpshot, he should be the starting everyday 2-guard.

Grade: B+

Washington Wizards:
F Olexsiv Pecherov
F Vladimir Veremeenko

Two Europeans I have never heard of. We'll see ya guys in a few years, maybe they'll pan out. Pecherov was drafted number 18, so he better be something good.

you say the Rockets moves weren't THAT terrible, y did you grade them a D+..last I checked that was pretty terrible

true, but what I meant by that was that their overall team additions and subtractions were not that bad, getting battier and novak and losing swift... and if there was no such thing as a possible trade involved thats not terrible. but in the real world there was that trade on the table and you take that into account as what COULD have been from this draft, and now it looks bad.. your right though

true, but what I meant by that was that their overall team additions and subtractions were not that bad, getting battier and novak and losing swift... and if there was no such thing as a possible trade involved thats not terrible. but in the real world there was that trade on the table and you take that into account as what COULD have been from this draft, and now it looks bad.. your right though

Jay Bilas couldn't hide the fact that he doesn't like Bargnani. On TV he looked pretty good. He was driving and scoring, shooting from good range. We'll see I guess.

On the other hand, Bilas likes Tyrus Thomas. I think Double T is going to be a joke. He's too lean to play the 4 and his offensive skills are not good enough to play the 3. He will not be able to rebound as well at this level given his lack of strength, so at best he'll be a Marcus Camby...but that might even be a stretch.

Brandon Roy - never heard of him until before the draft. His "all around game" makes me think he'll just be a bench player for life. See Calbert Cheney.

The NY Knicks draft - People act like they're surprised that Thomas has no idea what he's doing. HELLO?? Maurice Taylor, Jalen Rose, Stephon Me-Bury, Stevie "too good to play for Vancouver" Francis, Jamal "What's a pass" Crawford, Eddy "Erick Dampier" Curry...can I stop now??? Isiah Thomas sucks. He got lucky with Channing Frye and most people had Nate Robinson on their radars. Get over it and move on.

Memphis-Houston Trade: When did Shane Battier get so good? Rudy Gay and Stromile Swift for Shane Battier?? Houston, we have a problem. BTW, how does this make West a genius?? If I was the Grizz GM and someone called me and asked about Shane Battier, the first thing I'd say is "Who?" Hey Jerry West, when are Troy Bell and Hakim Warrick going to do something??

Golden State - Patrick O'Bryant. It just so happens he and I went to the same high school. He's about 5 years younger than me, but I used to watch his games on TV because I heard that my HS got a 7 footer (which is rare in MN). I wasn't impressed. You'd think he would dominate the 6'5 guy on the other team that is guarding him...you'd think.

That's good stuff and I agree with most of the stuff you say. I agree that a lot of good points will come out of this draft. I think Williams will be a stud in the perfect place for him. For you football fans he is kind of like Matt Leinart in the NFL Draft. Fell a little bit to a talented team that doesn't need him right away. I also think Rondo, Lowry, Washington Jr and Rodriguez will all be good players.

This was a solid look at the draft (good job, excellent opinions!), which will be as weak as the 2000 and 1986 drafts. I think the real winners are the teams that avoided the draft, Miami, Phoenix and San Antonio all deserve praise for what they avoided, and hopefully they can score in free agency). It seems that the lower picks in this draft at best will be rotational players and maybe 4 future all stars out of this draft (Morrision, Foye, Gay and Roy). I also think that Rodney Carney will be very good, and Williams (New Jersey) will be a solid pro.

I have been always under the impression that these should be the draft rules whenver you draft:
1) Draft the best available talent (obviously....not always the easiest thing to do, ask New York)
2) If you are not looking to trade your pick away, draft either
a) A proven winner (The jury is out on Bargnani, I see Detlef Schrempf (bet you can't spell his last name without looking either).
b) A heady point guard who can be a playmaker and a shotmaker (in that order - Allen Iverson is not a point guard)
c) A big man (No one has ever been able to coach size - although David Robinson somehow mysteriously grew 7 inches before his first pro game).
It seems like unless the guy is a surefire superstar, the league and the world is littered with guys 6'4" to 6'8", 2 and 3 guard types. Those are the guys that should be free agent pickups. A team that has seemingly gone in this route is the Charlotte Bobcats. Every year, they have either went point guard or post player (except for Morrison, who was the best player available), and are now sitting well underneath the cap.

Do NOT believe any hype from summer leagues, there is only one season that really matters and the summer season is not it....

Jay Bilas couldn't hide the fact that he doesn't like Bargnani. On TV he looked pretty good. He was driving and scoring, shooting from good range. We'll see I guess.

On the other hand, Bilas likes Tyrus Thomas. I think Double T is going to be a joke. He's too lean to play the 4 and his offensive skills are not good enough to play the 3. He will not be able to rebound as well at this level given his lack of strength, so at best he'll be a Marcus Camby...but that might even be a stretch.

Brandon Roy - never heard of him until before the draft. His "all around game" makes me think he'll just be a bench player for life. See Calbert Cheney.

The NY Knicks draft - People act like they're surprised that Thomas has no idea what he's doing. HELLO?? Maurice Taylor, Jalen Rose, Stephon Me-Bury, Stevie "too good to play for Vancouver" Francis, Jamal "What's a pass" Crawford, Eddy "Erick Dampier" Curry...can I stop now??? Isiah Thomas sucks. He got lucky with Channing Frye and most people had Nate Robinson on their radars. Get over it and move on.

Memphis-Houston Trade: When did Shane Battier get so good? Rudy Gay and Stromile Swift for Shane Battier?? Houston, we have a problem. BTW, how does this make West a genius?? If I was the Grizz GM and someone called me and asked about Shane Battier, the first thing I'd say is "Who?" Hey Jerry West, when are Troy Bell and Hakim Warrick going to do something??

Golden State - Patrick O'Bryant. It just so happens he and I went to the same high school. He's about 5 years younger than me, but I used to watch his games on TV because I heard that my HS got a 7 footer (which is rare in MN). I wasn't impressed. You'd think he would dominate the 6'5 guy on the other team that is guarding him...you'd think.

1) Tyrus Thomas is going to be a damn good players. He is definitely not too small to play PF. He players bigger than he looks and has a great feel for blocking shots. Besides...Marcus Camby is pretty good (and he was the #1 overall pick a while ago). I have seen him play live, and he has a decent mid ranged jump shot and has plenty of time to develop it.

2) If you have never heard of Brandon Roy you are a crack head and clearly do not watch college basketball...You probably said the same thing about Dwane Wade and Chris Bosh before they came out. Shows how much you know. Brandon Roy will Start and will be pretty damn good in the NBA.

3). This I actually agree with you on. The Knicks payed about $6 or 7 mil per win last season. Thats rediculous.

4) Houston made a damn good decision in trading Rudy for Shane. I know Rudy has loads of potential..but the Rockets don't have time for Rudy to develop. They also don't need another player that plays the same position as T-Mac. They needed a PF/SF that can defend and shoot 3s. Thats what they got.

5) Marcus Williams was a good pick..and he could be the next Jason Kidd after he is trained by him....

1) Tyrus Thomas is going to be a damn good players. He is definitely not too small to play PF. He players bigger than he looks and has a great feel for blocking shots. Besides...Marcus Camby is pretty good (and he was the #1 overall pick a while ago). I have seen him play live, and he has a decent mid ranged jump shot and has plenty of time to develop it.

I have been always under the impression that these should be the draft rules whenver you draft:
1) Draft the best available talent (obviously....not always the easiest thing to do, ask New York)
2) If you are not looking to trade your pick away, draft either
a) A proven winner (The jury is out on Bargnani, I see Detlef Schrempf (bet you can't spell his last name without looking either).
b) A heady point guard who can be a playmaker and a shotmaker (in that order - Allen Iverson is not a point guard)
c) A big man (No one has ever been able to coach size - although David Robinson somehow mysteriously grew 7 inches before his first pro game).
It seems like unless the guy is a surefire superstar, the league and the world is littered with guys 6'4" to 6'8", 2 and 3 guard types. Those are the guys that should be free agent pickups. A team that has seemingly gone in this route is the Charlotte Bobcats. Every year, they have either went point guard or post player (except for Morrison, who was the best player available), and are now sitting well underneath the cap.

I mostly agree but....

1. I would pick best talent available in case I have that position crowded ONLY if I am absolutely sure I'll have a trade. Nothing sinks player's value more than sitting on the bench behind a more experienced similar player.

2. a) yes
b) I agree only if you are picking in late lottery or after. On average point guards develop to heady pointguards slower than sg's and sf's reach their potential. With short rookie contracts I prefer picking 2's or 3's and get the pg's from free agency or via trades.
c) true